Connected lighting system

ABSTRACT

Techniques are described for a lighting system in which light sources are controllable using signals sent over a wireless mesh network. During a commissioning process, a user interface (UI) may present a representation of nodes (e.g., light sources, sensors, controllers, etc.) that are broadcasting a wireless advertising signal. In response to a selection of a particular node, a wireless message may be sent to instruct the selected node to provide a visual indication of its presence, such as a flashing light. The visual indication may enable a user to discern the physical location of the node, such that each node may be added to the mesh network and, in some instances, to a group of nodes. The UI may also enable the definition of scenes, where each scene describes the brightness level or other operating characteristics of particular light source(s) and/or group(s) of light sources when the scene is active.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 15/393,558, filed Dec. 29, 2016, titled “Connected LightingSystem,” which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/318,515 filed Apr. 5, 2016, titled “Connected Lighting System.”The entirety of all of the prior applications are incorporated byreference into the present application.

BACKGROUND

The lighting controls in a typical commercial space generally providetwo settings: on and off. All of the lights in a room may be controlledas a unit from a wall switch, or different banks of lights may becontrolled by different dedicated switches. Additionally, the electricalsystems in many commercial buildings are not compatible with standarddimmer switches; accordingly, dimming often requires specialized wiring.This can leave some areas over lit while others are under lit. Moreover,lights get left on in unoccupied spaces or someone might find themselveswalking into a dark room searching for the switch. Existing lightingcontrol systems often require expensive and disruptive installationsand, because of their complexity, they are often disabled or ignoredafter they are set up. This leaves users with too much or too littlelight much of the time.

SUMMARY

Implementations of the present disclosure are generally directed tomanaging a lighting system over a wireless network. More specifically,implementations provide a lighting system that allows for control ofeach light source (e.g., on, off, or at an intermediate brightnesslevel) independent of other light sources and independent of theelectrical wiring of a space. Using the light system, illumination oflarge spaces may be customized so that each light source lighting thespace has an individualized illumination level for each of manydifferent user-defined scenes. In some implementations, one or morelight sources may be commissioned, where commissioning includes addingthe light sources to a wireless mesh network and to one or more groups.Scenes may be determined that enable the setting of a state (e.g.,brightness level) of the light source(s) and/or group(s) of lightsources based on wireless signal(s) sent from a controller (e.g., wallswitch) that is connected to the wireless mesh network.

The connected lighting system described herein is a network of devicesthat communicate wirelessly to provide fine-grained and readilyconfigured control of the lighting in an area such as a room, floor of abuilding, whole building, outdoor space, and so forth. In someimplementations, the control of the lighting system may be independentof the electrical scheme in the area, apart from the use of power thatmay be provided by the area's electrical scheme. The light sources canbe controlled independently, allowing variation in the amount of lightin various rooms or other areas.

The connected lighting system can eliminate the need for complex anddisruptive wiring updates by employing a wireless communication mesh,such as a Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) mesh, that enables communicationamong the devices in the network. Implementations provide for thecommissioning and control of individual light sources and/or thecommissioning and control of groups of light sources. In some instances,light sources are bulbs (alternatively referred to as lamps) that fitwithin conventional light fixtures (e.g., via bi-pin connectors, screwconnectors, or bayonet connectors), and such light source(s) may bewirelessly connected to daylight and/or occupancy sensors, as well as tomulti-scene controllers (e.g., wall switches), allowing for individualcontrol of each light source and/or control of configured groups oflight sources. Setup of the system can be performed using a mobileapplication, and no particular expertise may be required to get thesystem up and running.

In some implementations, the connected lighting system includes one ormore light sources, each including a wireless radio. In some instances,a light source is a bulb, such as a light-emitting diode (LED) bulb,which includes a connector for fitting the bulb to a conventional lightfixture. In some instances, the connected lighting system includes oneor more light fixtures (alternatively referred to as luminaires), eachconfigured to hold one or more light source. In some embodiments, thelight fixture includes a conventional connector for receiving the lightsource and the light sources may be replaced without replacing theentire fixture. Alternatively, or additionally, the light source(s) maybe integral with the fixture. The system may also include one or morecontrollers (e.g., wall switches) that include electrical connectionsfor connecting with electrical wiring in an area. The controllers mayalso include a wireless radio for wirelessly communicating with thewireless radios of the light source(s). In instances where the lightsource(s) are replacement bulb(s) that are installed in light fixturesin the room, the bulb(s) may receive electrical power from the lightfixture. The controller(s) may be used to switch the light source(s)among two or more different modes of operation (described below asscenes) based on wireless signals sent from the controller(s).

Implementations of the connected lighting system can include one or moreof the following features. For example, the light source(s) can be LEDbulbs, e.g., LED replacement bulbs for fluorescent tubes, Edison bulbs,or PAR bulbs. When installed in the room, the light source(s),controller(s), sensor(s), and/or other node(s) can form a mesh wirelessnetwork. The wireless radio of each node can be a Bluetooth radio. Theconnected lighting system can include one or more sensors each includinga wireless radio for communicating with the wireless radio(s) of thelight source(s) and the wireless radio(s) of the controller(s). The oneor more sensors can include a room occupancy sensor and/or light levelsensor (e.g., a daylight sensor).

The controller(s) can include a plurality of buttons, switches, and/orother controls to enable a user to select among various availablescenes, the scenes having been previously defined by a user using amobile application. The controller(s) may be configured to send wirelesssignals to the wireless radios of the light source(s) in response toactivation of each of the buttons, and the signals may cause the lightsources to enter a state according to the activated button. The buttonsof a controller can include an on-off switch and/or a dimmer switch. Insome implementations, the buttons include one or more scene buttonsassociated with pre-programmed configurations in which different lightsource(s), or different group(s) of light source(s), are operated withdifferent power levels.

Implementations may include methods that include one or more of thefollowing actions:

presenting in a user interface (UI) a representation of a plurality oflight sources for which a corresponding wireless advertising signal hasbeen received; in response to detecting a selection through the UI of afirst light source from the plurality of light sources, sending awireless signal to instruct the first light source to provide anindication of its location; receiving through the UI a designation of agroup to include the first light source and, in response, adding thefirst light source to a wireless network; and storing group informationindicating that the first light source is in the group.

Implementations may optionally include one or more of the followingaspects: the wireless network is a wireless mesh network, e.g., that iscompliant with a version of Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) mesh networkprotocol; the light sources include one or more fluorescent tubereplacement light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs; the actions furtherinclude receiving through the UI scene information indicating that thegroup is to be set to a designated brightness level when a scene isactive; the actions further include sending over the wireless network atleast a portion of the scene information to be stored in the memory onthe light source; the actions further include sending a wireless sceneactivation signal over the wireless network to cause the light source toemit the brightness level associated with the scene, wherein thewireless scene activation signal specifies the group and the scene to beactivated; the indication includes a flashing of a LED affixed to thelight source; and/or the light sources each include a wireless radiothat employs Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) to send the wirelessadvertising signal and receive the wireless signal.

Other implementations of any of the above aspects include correspondingsystems, apparatus, and computer programs that are configured to performthe actions of the methods, encoded on computer storage devices. Thepresent disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage mediumcoupled to one or more processors and having instructions stored thereonwhich, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one ormore processors to perform operations in accordance with implementationsof the methods provided herein. The present disclosure further providesa system for implementing the methods provided herein. The systemincludes one or more processors, and a computer-readable storage mediumcoupled to the one or more processors having instructions stored thereonwhich, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one ormore processors to perform operations in accordance with implementationsof the methods provided herein.

Implementations may also include a lighting system that includes: aplurality of light sources, each associated with (e.g., including) awireless radio for communicating over a wireless network, wherein eachof the plurality of light sources stores scene information indicating astate of the respective light source when a scene is active; and acontroller including a plurality of switches and a wireless radio forcommunicating over the wireless network, wherein a switch of theplurality of switches corresponds to the scene, and wherein the wirelessradio of the controller emits a wireless scene activation signal overthe wireless network in response to a manipulation of the switch, thewireless scene activation signal causing the respective light source tobe in the state indicated by the scene information stored on therespective light source.

Implementations may optionally include one or more of the followingaspects: the wireless network is a wireless mesh network; the pluralityof light sources comprise one or more light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs;the plurality of light sources comprise one or more LED bulbs configuredto fit in a conventional light fixture; the actions further includereceiving through the UI scene information indicating that the group isto be set to a state when a scene is active; the actions further includesending over the wireless network at least a portion of the sceneinformation to be stored in memory on the first light source; theactions further include sending a wireless scene activation signal overthe wireless network; the wireless scene activation signal specifies thescene to be activated; receipt of the wireless scene activation signalcauses the first light source to be in the state associated with thescene; the state includes at least one of a brightness, a color, a colortemperature, or a number of LEDs for one or more light sources in thegroup when the scene is active; the indication includes a flashing of aLED affixed to the first light source; the plurality of light sourceseach includes a wireless radio that employs Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE)to send the wireless advertising signal and receive the wireless signal;at least one of the plurality of light sources includes a sensor.

Implementations of the present disclosure provide one or more of thefollowing technical advantages and improvements over traditionalsystems. Implementations allow for the management of a lighting systemthat includes at least two types of operations that may be performedcontemporaneously: adding nodes (e.g., light sources, sensors,controllers, etc.) to a wireless mesh network; and determining thephysical location of the nodes for arranging the nodes into groups whichmay be controllable from a user device or controller. Using this systemaccording to implementations described herein, it is much easy for auser to determine where each light source is physically located based avisual indicator that flashes during the commissioning process(described below). This provides an advantage over traditional systemsin which a user may be confronted with a long list of device UUIDs thatare advertising through a wireless broadcast signal and, through trialand error, the user must attempt to determine where each node isphysically located. Moreover, in some implementations each node storesinformation indicating what group(s) the node is a member of and whatstate the node is to be in when particular scene(s) are active.Accordingly, the wireless messages sent to the nodes may include aminimal amount of data, e.g., indicating that Group X is to activateScene A. Each light source or other node may receive such a message anddetermine, for itself, how to respond to the message—e.g., whether it isin the specified group and how it is to behave according to thespecified scene. Accordingly, implementations provide a technicaladvantage (e.g., reduced network bandwidth usage) over traditionalsystems which may be required to send more detailed and lengthy wirelessmessages.

It is appreciated that aspects and features in accordance with thepresent disclosure can include any combination of the aspects andfeatures described herein. That is, aspects and features in accordancewith the present disclosure are not limited to the combinations ofaspects and features specifically described herein, but also include anycombination of the aspects and features provided.

The details of one or more implementations of the present disclosure areset forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Otherfeatures and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent fromthe description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an example lighting system, according to implementationsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 depicts an example front panel of a controller, according toimplementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for commissioningnodes (e.g., light sources) in a wireless mesh network, according toimplementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for determiningscene information for a lighting system, according to implementations ofthe present disclosure.

FIGS. 5A-5I depict examples of a user interface for managing a lightingsystem, according to implementations of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 depicts an example computing system, according to implementationsof the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to a lightingsystem that is connected through a wireless mesh network, such thatvarious light sources are controllable using signals sent over wirelessmesh network. As a result, the lighting system allows for control ofeach light source (e.g., on, off, or at an intermediate brightnesslevel) independent of other light sources and independent of theelectrical wiring of a space. Using the lighting system, illumination oflarge spaces (e.g., spaces that are lit by many separate light sources)may be customized so that each light source lighting the space has anindividualized illumination level for each of many differentuser-defined scenes. Large spaces that may especially benefit from thelight system include commercial spaces (e.g., offices), industrialspaces (e.g., warehouses, factories), and other public spaces (e.g.,theatres, shopping malls, schools and universities, governmentbuildings).

During a commissioning process, a user interface (UI) of a mobileapplication executing on a portable device may present a representation(e.g., list) of nodes that are each broadcasting a wireless advertisingmessage. A wireless advertising message may include any suitable typeand/or format of message through which a node indicates its presence inan area. In some implementations, a wireless advertising message may besent in a RF signal. In some implementations, a wireless advertisingmessage may indicate that a node is present in an area and available tobe added to a wireless network that employs a particular wirelessnetwork protocol. For example, a wireless advertising message may complywith a version of a Bluetooth protocol, and may indicate that the nodeis capable of communicating over a Bluetooth wireless network and thusavailable to be added to such a network.

Nodes may include light sources, light fixtures, sensors, controllers,and so forth. In response to a selection of a node through the UI, awireless message may be sent to instruct the selected node to provide avisual indication of its presence, such as a flashing light. The visualindication may enable a user to discern the physical location of thenode in a room, building, or other area. The user may employ the UI toadd each node to the mesh network, and to add each node to a group ofnodes, e.g., based on the physical location of the node.

The UI may also enable the user to define scenes, where each scenedescribes how particular light source(s) and/or group(s) of lightsources are to operate when the scene is active. For example, a scenemay indicate that a first group of light sources is to operate at 50%brightness level while a second group of light sources is to operate at0% brightness level (e.g., off). Scenes may be activated and/ordeactivated from controller(s) (e.g., wall switches), the portabledevice, and/or other computing device(s). For example, a user may pressa button on a controller to activate a first scene that has been definedusing the mobile application. In response to the button press, thecontroller may send a wireless signal to the mesh network of nodes, thewireless signal indicating that the first scene is to be activated. Eachnode on the network may store information that describes how the node isto operate when the first scene is active. The nodes that are relevantto the first scene may enter the appropriate state of operation (e.g.,brightness level) in response to receiving the message.

FIG. 1 depicts an example lighting system 100, according toimplementations of the present disclosure. The system 100 may be in anindoor space, such as a room or other portion of a building, or theentire building, an office, a home, and so forth. The system 100 mayalso be in a space that is at least partly outdoors, such as in a yard,park, stadium, open-air amphitheater, and so forth. The system 100includes light sources 102, a controller 104, one or more sensors 110, auser device 112, and one or more server devices 120. While two lightsources 102 are depicted in FIG. 1, in general, lighting system 100 mayinclude any number of light sources. The controller 104 includes a frontpanel 106 and an electrical module 108. The user device 112 includes anapplication 114, group information 116, and scene information 118. Theserver device(s) 120 include group information 116 and scene information118. The light sources 102 include wireless radios 122.

The system 100 includes a controller 104, which includes a front panel106 and an electrical module 108. The electrical module 108 is wiredinto the electrical system of the area (e.g., the room, building, etc.).In some implementations, the front panel 106 may replace or supplement aconventional light switch that would otherwise be present in the room orother area. As depicted, the controller 104 is a wall switch that isaffixed to a wall or other suitable surface. Alternatively, thecontroller 104 may be a portable controller 104, e.g., a remote control.

In general, each light source is a device configured to emit light(e.g., at least partly in the visible spectrum). Examples of lightsources include LED bulb(s), incandescent bulb(s), fluorescent bulb(s),gas lamps and/or other suitable types of light emitting devices. Thelight source(s) 102 may also include organic LEDs, which use an organicsubstance as a semiconductor material in a light emitting diode.

Generally, each light source is part of a light fixture (luminaire),through which each light source connects to electrical module 106. Thelight fixture refers to the light source and all components directlyassociated with the distribution, positioning, and protection of thelight source. Each light fixture may include one or more light source.The light sources may connect to the fixture via a standard bulbconnector (in which case the light source may be a replacement bulb) orthe light source may be integrally formed with the light fixture.Standard bulbs may include, but are not limited to, fluorescent (e.g.,T8) bulbs, Edison bulbs, parabolic aluminized reflector (PAR) bulbs, andso forth.

The user device 112 may be any suitable type of computing device. Insome instances, the user device 112 is a mobile and/or portablecomputing device such as a smartphone, tablet computer, wearablecomputer (e.g., watch computer, glasses computer, etc.), and so forth.In some instances, the user device 112 is a less portable type ofcomputing device, such as a desktop computer, laptop computer, and soforth. The server device(s) 120 may include any suitable number and typeof computing device. In some instances, the server device(s) 120 aredistributed computing device(s) (e.g., cloud server(s)).

As depicted in FIG. 1, light sources 102 are both in the form of a tube(e.g., a fluorescent tube or an LED fluorescent replacement tube). Eachlight source 102 may include an internal driver that regulates and/ormodulates the light source's brightness, or otherwise controls the stateof the light source. Examples of LED light sources 102 for fluorescenttube replacement and associated manufacturing methods are describedfurther in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,049,761; 7,510,299; 7,815,338; 7,976,196;8,118,447; 8,093,823; 8,247,985; 8,282,247; 8,360,599; 8,382,327;8,444,292; 8,454,193; 8,482,212; 8,523,394; 8,573,813; 8,596,813;8,678,610; 8,807,785; 8,870,415; 8,870,412; 8,866,396; 8,894,430;8,928,025; 9,006,990; 9,006,993; 9,072,171; 9,163,794; 9,184,518; and9,271,367; the entire contents of each of these patents are incorporatedherein by reference.

Generally, all of the light sources in lighting system 100 may have thesame form factor (e.g., all tubes, as depicted in FIG. 1) or differentform factors can be used in the same system. For example, in someembodiments, some of the light sources are tubes while others are PARbulbs and/or Edison bulbs. Lighting system 100 can also include onlylight fixtures for replacement bulbs, only light fixtures withintegrated light sources, or both types of light fixture.

In addition to an internal driver, each light source 102 is associatedwith a wireless radio 122 (e.g., transceiver) that allows the lightsource to receive and transmit wireless signals. The wireless radio maybe integrally formed with the light source or otherwise in communication(e.g., electrical or wireless communication) with the associated lightsource. The wireless radio may be in communication with the internaldriver, allowing the operation of the light source to be wirelesslycontrolled as described herein. In some embodiments where light source101 is a replacement bulb, the wireless radio is included as part of theelectrical components in the replacement bulb. In certain embodiments,the wireless radio is part of a light fixture that may be configured toreceive replacement bulbs, or may have light sources integrated therein.

In some implementations, the electrical module 108 closes the circuitdelivering electrical power from the area's electrical system to thefixtures housing the light source(s) 102, e.g., in instances where thelight source(s) include bulb(s) that are installed into fixture(s), sothat at least some (or all) of the light sources 102 in the lightfixtures always receive electrical power. This is unlike a conventionalwall switch, which opens or closes the circuit to turn lights off or on.

Electrical module 108 may also include a wireless radio (e.g.,transceiver), allowing for wireless communication between the controller104 and the light source(s) 102. During operation, the light source(s)102 may be controlled from the controller 104 over the wireless network.In particular, operating the various switches on the front panel 106 maycause the controller 104 to send wireless signals to the wireless radiosof the light sources 102, causing one or more of the light source(s) 102to modify their brightness setting as appropriate. For example, all thelight source(s) 102 in the system 100 may be switched on or off usingon-off switch 202 of the front panel 106. The light source(s) 102 may becollectively dimmed or brightened using the dimmer switches 204 of thefront panel 106. The light source(s) 102 may be adjusted betweendifferent scene settings using the scene switches 206 of the front panel106.

The system 100 may also include one or more sensors 110. The sensor(s)110 may include a wireless radio (e.g., transceiver) for communicationwith the light source(s) 102 and/or controller 104. Implementationssupport the use of any suitable number and type of sensor(s) 110. Forexample, the sensor(s) 110 may include motion, sound, and/or heatsensors that determine when an area (e.g., a room) is occupied byindividual(s). The sensor(s) 110 may also include light level sensor(s)that detect the brightness of ambient light in the area. In someimplementations, the operation of the light sources 102 may be modifiedbased on wireless signals from a sensor 110, e.g., based on ambientlight level(s) and/or area occupancy. For example, the light sources 102can be switched on or off, or dimmed or brightened, based on signalsfrom an occupancy sensor 110, where such signals are sent based onwhether someone is in a room or whether the room is unoccupied. Asanother example, the light sources 102 can be switched on or off, ordimmed or brightened, based on signals from an ambient light sensor,where such signals are sent based on the amount of ambient lightdetected in the area. In some implementations, at least one of the lightsources 102 may include one or more of the sensors 110, such asoccupancy sensor(s), ambient light level sensor(s), and so forth. Thesensor(s) 110 may also be external to the light source(s) 102, as shownin the example of FIG. 1.

Any suitable wireless communications protocol may be used. For example,the wireless radios may be configured to operate using any suitableversion of wireless DALI, IEEE 802.11, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth LowEnergy (BTLE). The wireless radios may operate using radio frequency(RF) channel(s), or through infrared, ultrasonic or modulated visiblelight, such as light emitted from the LED bulbs with high frequencymodulation. The wireless radios in the light sources 102, controller104, sensor(s) 110, and/or other node(s) may form a wireless meshnetwork that extends the range of the wireless communication system overthe entire area (e.g., an entire room, building, etc.). This can bebeneficial in large rooms, such as storage warehouses, where the extentof the space to be lit can exceed the range of the wirelesscommunication protocol being used. For example, Bluetooth communicationsmay have a range of up to 30 feet, and the wireless mesh network mayenable communications over significantly longer distances.

While the example system 100 in FIG. 1 is depicted as including a singlecontroller 104, a single sensor 10, and two light sources 102, otherconfigurations are also possible. For example, the system 100 caninclude any suitable number of light sources 102 and, provided eachlight source 102 is in range of another wireless radio in the meshnetwork, the light source 102 can be configured to operate as part ofthe system 100. Multiple sensors 110 and/or multiple controllers 104 canalso be used. Moreover, although examples herein may describe lightsources 102 as bulbs that are fluorescent replacement tubes, other bulbform factors are also possible. For example, A-series bulbs, B-seriesbulbs, C-7/F series bulbs, MR series, and/or PAR bulbs can also be used.

The system 100 may also include a user device 112. The user device 112may be a portable and/or handheld device, such as a smartphone, tabletcomputer, wearable computer, implanted computer, mobile gaming platform,and so forth. The user device 112 may also include any other suitabletype of computing device. The user device 112 may include a wirelessradio (e.g., transceiver) that enable the user device 112 to communicateusing the same wireless communication protocol as the light source(s)102, the sensor(s), the controller(s) 104, and/or the other node(s) inthe system 100. Accordingly, the user device 112 may be used to controland/or configure the operation of the light sources 102 in the lightingsystem 100. In some implementations, the user device 112 may execute anapplication 114 (e.g., an app) that enables the operation and/orconfiguration of the light sources 102 in the system 100. Theapplication 114 can include a user interface (UI) that may bemanipulated through a touchscreen or other input components of the userdevice 112. The UI may, in some instances, imitate the layout of theswitches on the controller 104. In this way, a user can operate theconnected lighting system 100 using the user device 112 in a manner thatis the same or similar to the way in which the user would use thecontroller 104.

In some implementations, the application 114 is configured to enable auser to commission the node(s) of the connected lighting system 100, andto configure the system 100 for different scenes to be activated usingthe scene buttons of the application's UI and/or the controller's frontpanel 106. In some implementations, the first step in configuring system100 is for the application 114 to identify each available light source102 or other node on the network and present a list or otherrepresentation of available light sources 102 or other nodes to theuser. In some implementations, an identification protocol can be usedfor the user to identify each light source 102 from the detected lightsources 102 presented in the UI of the application 114. For example,each light source 102 can flash or provide some other indication whenits corresponding identifier (e.g., serial number or other identifier)is selected (e.g., tapped) in the UI.

The user can use the application 114 to assign one or more light sources102 to a group. For example, the bulbs that are installed in the sametroffer can be assigned to one group. As another example, the lightsources 102 that are installed in a common area of a room may beassigned to a group. As another example, the light sources 102 that arenear windows in one or more rooms may be assigned to one group, and thelight sources 102 that are in the interior of the room(s) (e.g., fartherfrom windows) may be assigned to another group. Accordingly, a group maybe described as a collection of one or more light sources 102 that mayor may not be physically adjacent or proximal to one another. The user'sspecification of one or more groups may be saved as group information116 in persistent storage on the user device 112.

The user may also use the application 114 to specify one or more scenes,where each scene specifies a state of one or more light sources 102and/or groups of light source(s) 102 when the scene is active. A scenemay specify a state of light source(s) 102 and/or group(s) of lightsource(s) 102 that includes one or more characteristics that the lightsource(s) 102 are to assume, such as a brightness level (e.g., powerlevel), color, color temperature, and/or other characteristic(s) of thelight source(s). In some instances, a light source 102 may includemultiple LEDs or other sub-components which may be independentlyilluminated or not illuminated by a light source. In such instances, thestate may specify a characteristic of a number of LEDs that are to beilluminated by the light source while the scene is active. Scenesprovide for easy customization of lighting to the user's desired lightlevel(s) in the area. For example, in one scene, the group of lightsources 102 located near windows can be set to lower power levels (e.g.,lower brightness) than light sources installed further from the windows,when there is ambient light provided by the windows. As another example,in a lecture hall or other public space, in a first scene the entirehall can be well lit (e.g., for when the audience is being seated orleaving), and in a second scene the audience lighting can be dimmedwhile the lighting at the podium or stage is increased. Once the scenesare programmed using the application 114 on the user device 112, thelighting in a room or other area can be readily switched betweendifferent scenes using the scene buttons on the controller 104. In someimplementations, the application 114 may also be used to switch betweenscenes. The user's specification of one or more scenes may be saved asscene information 118 in persistent storage on the user device 112.

Scene information 118 may include an identifier of the scene (e.g.,“Scene 1”) as well as the state that the light source(s) are to assumewhen the scene is active. As described above, a state may includecharacteristic(s) such as a brightness level (e.g., power level), color,color temperature, number of LEDs to be illuminated, and so forth.

The system 100 may also include one or more server devices 120. Theserver device(s) 120 may include any suitable number and type ofcomputing device, including distributed computing device(s) (e.g., cloudserver(s)). The server device(s) 120 may communicated with the userdevice 112 over one or more network(s), e.g., over the internet. In someimplementations, the group information 116 and/or the scene information118 may be stored in persistent storage on the server device(s) 120 inaddition to or instead of being persistently stored on the user device112. The group information 116 and/or scene information 118 may beperiodically synced between the user device 112 and/or server device(s)120.

In some implementations, BTLE may be used for communications between theuser device 112, controller(s) 104, sensor(s) 110, and light sources102. A Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) Mesh network, or other suitablemesh-based communications protocol, may sit on top of BTLE and enablecommunications over a wider range than is possible using BTLE alone, asdescribed above. Various messages may be sent over the mesh network toenable control of the light sources 102. For examples, messages may besent to control brightness of light sources 102, define scenes, activatescenes, and so forth. For example, a whole building may be encompassedby a mesh network, and various groups could be defined to addressindividual rooms or other portions of the building. In general, a groupmay be defined to include any logical portion of a building, room, orother area. Different sets of light sources 102 may be defined asdifferent groups, and a scene may be defined to indicate how the variouslight source(s) 102 and/or group(s) function when that scene is active.The application 114 and/or controller 104 may be used to activate and/ordeactivate the various previously defined scenes.

In some implementations, the system 100 may include a learning componentthat adjusts the lighting based on learned aspects of individualbehavior. For example, the learning component may receive sensor datafrom the sensor(s) 110 indicating when an area is occupied by one ormore persons and/or when the ambient light in an area is at a particularlevel. As a particular example, the learning component may determinethat an individual tends to enter an area (e.g., room, building, etc.)at approximately 7:13 a.m. each Wednesday. The lighting environment maybe automatically adjusted accordingly, to ensure that there is adequatelight in an area when the individual arrives.

In some implementations, the system 100 takes into account the level ofambient light (e.g., available from daylight), as well as auser-selected dimming setting, to determine a power level and/orbrightness at which to operate the light sources. In someimplementations, the level settings for light source(s) may be adjustedover time based on user inputs. Accordingly, the learning component maylearn the lighting levels preferred by the user at various times of theday (or days of the week, month, etc.), and automatically adjust toprovide the lighting levels adapted by the particular user. Moreover, insome implementations the learning component may take into account powersavings considerations when determining the level(s) of light source(s)at various times. For example, the learning component may recognizepatterns of when a user is present or not present in a particular space.Light source(s) may be turned off and/or set to a reduced brightnesslevel at those times when the user is not likely to be present, and/orlight source(s) may be turned on and/or set to a typical brightnesslevel for room usage at those times when the user is likely to bepresent, as determined based on the previously detected patterns.

In some implementations, at least a portion of the scene information 118may be stored on one or more light sources 102 in the system 100. Forexample, a particular light source 102 may store information indicatinghow it is to operate (e.g., its state) when various scenes are active,such as whether the light source is to be on, off, and/or the power orbrightness level it is to emit. For example, for Scene 1 a particularLight Source A may be off and for Scene 2 Light Source A may be at 50%power level. In some implementations, a light source 102 may storeinformation regarding its own state when a scene is active, but may notstore information regarding the state of other light source(s) when thescene is active. Implementations may store scene information 118 for thevarious light source(s) 102 on the light source(s) themselves to limitthe amount of bandwidth needed for the messages that activate scenes.This may be particularly advantageous for those implementations thatemploy a limited bandwidth wireless communication protocol such as BTLE.For example, a wireless scene activation message may be sent over thewireless mesh network, and received by all the light sources in thenetwork. The wireless scene activation message may indicate that aparticular scene is to be activated. On receiving the message, eachlight source may determine based on its stared scene information how itis to respond to the wireless scene activation message, and the lightsource may assume the appropriate state (e.g., brightness, color, colortemperature, etc.) according to its stored scene information.

In some implementations, at least a portion of group information 116and/or scene information 118 may be stored on the light source(s) 102. Awireless scene activation message may be sent, from the user device 112and/or controller 104, to activate a particular scene in an area. Themessage may be received by each of the nodes (e.g., light source(s) 102)in the mesh network, and each node may determine how it is to respond tothe message given its stored group and/or scene information. Forexample, a message may be sent indicating that Group A is to activateScene X. Light Source 1 may determine, based on its stored groupinformation, that it is a member of Group A. Light Source 1 maydetermine, based on its stored scene information, that Scene X includessetting Light Source 1 at 100% power level. Accordingly, in response tothe message the internal driver of Light Source 1 may set the lightsource's power level to 100%, if it is not already at 100%. Light Source2 may receive the same message and also determine that it is a member ofGroup A. Light Source 2 may determine that Scene X includes settingLight Source 2 to 25% power level, and the internal driver of LightSource 2 may set the light source's power level accordingly. LightSource 3 may receive the same message and determine that it is not amember of Group A. In response to this determination, the internaldriver may take no action. In some implementations, the messages may becommunicated to the light sources 102 on the mesh network throughwireless signal(s) sent from the controller 104. In someimplementations, the signal(s) may be sent from the user device 112 ifthe user device 112 is in range of the mesh network.

In some implementations, each light source 102, sensor 110, controller104, user device 112, and/or other nodes may each have a unique address(e.g., BlueTooth address) on the mesh network. A message may bebroadcast to the entire mesh network, and the message may be addressedto a particular light source 102 or group of light source(s) 102. For amessage addressed to a particular light source 102, the light source 102may recognize its address and respond appropriately according to thecontents of the message. For a message address to a group of lightsource(s) 102, each light source may determine whether it is part of thegroup and, if so, the light source may respond appropriately accordingto the contents of the message. Because each light source 102 storesinformation indicating what group(s) it is in and the state it is to bein when a scene is active, the messages may include a minimal amount ofdata. For example, a message may include minimal data indicating thatGroup X is to activate Scene A, and each light source 102 in the meshnetwork can determine for itself how to respond to such a message.

FIG. 2 depicts an example front panel 106 of a controller 104, accordingto implementations of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, thefront panel 106 includes an on-off switch 202, dimming switches 204,and/or scene switches 206. The on-off switch 202 may be operated by auser to turn on, or turn off, one or more light sources. The dimmingswitches 204 may be operated to decrease or increase the level of lightemitted by one or more light sources. The scene switches 206 maycorrespond to various different settings, called scenes, as describedherein. Such scenes may be defined by a user through a mobileapplication. The scene switches 206 may be operated by the user toselect one of the previously specified scenes. Selection of a scene maycause a signal to be sent to instruct one or more light sources to enterthe appropriate state according to the selected scene. The front panel106 may include any suitable number of switches each corresponding to ascene. In the example shown, the front panel 106 include three switches206 that correspond to three different scenes. In some implementations,one or more of the switches of the front panel 106 may be capacitivetouch switches. Implementations also support the use of other types ofswitches. For example, the front panel 106 may include one or moretouchscreen displays in which the switches are presented as UI elements.In such implementations, manipulation of the switches may include theuser touching or otherwise gesturing on the touchscreen(s).

FIG. 3 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for commissioningnodes (e.g., light sources 102 and/or sensors 110) in a wireless meshnetwork, according to implementations of the present disclosure.Operations of the process may be performed by the application 114 and/orother software executing on the user device 112, the controller 104, theserver device(s) 120, or elsewhere.

Commissioning is a process by which light sources 102, sensors 110,and/or other nodes with wireless (e.g., BTLE supporting) transceiversmay be identified, assigned a network address, and added to the network.Commissioning may also include physically locating the node(s) in thearea. In some implementations, commissioning may be a setup phase inwhich a user identifies: the various nodes (light sources 102 and/orsensors 110) that have been installed in an area, such as a room orother portion of a building; identifies the physical location of eachnode; and assigns nodes to various groups. The nodes may also includeany appropriate number of controllers 104 (e.g., switches). An object ofthe commissioning process may be to add the various nodes to a meshnetwork that is also accessible to the user device 112, to enablecontrol of the lighting system 100 through the user device 112 and/orcontroller 104. Another object of the commissioning process may be tophysically locate the various nodes in an area, e.g., light sources arein the back half or front half of room, positioned to light up aconference table, near or far from windows, and so forth. Such locatingmay enable the user to define scenes to efficiently manage the lightingin an area.

Signals may be received (302) from the various nodes in an area. In someimplementations, the signals may be received through a wirelesstransceiver of the user device 112. The signals may be the various nodesadvertising their presence, and each signal may include a uniqueidentifier (e.g., UUID) of the node that sent the signal. At this stage,the nodes may not yet be on the mesh network.

The UI of the application 114 may present (304) a collection (e.g.,list, stack, or other graphical representation) of the various nodesfrom which signals have been received. In some implementations, the listor other graphical representation may be selectable, such that a usermay select various nodes that are presented in the UI.

A selection of one of the nodes may be received (306) through the UI. Inresponse to the selection, a signal may be sent (308) (e.g., from theuser device 112) instructing the selected node to indicate its presence.The signal may include the unique identifier (e.g., UUID) of theselected node. In response to receiving the signal, the node mayindicate its presence visually or otherwise. In some implementations,the node may flash or otherwise illuminate a LED one or more times toindicate the node's presence and enable the user to perceive thephysical location of the node. In some implementations, for nodes thatare light sources, the light source itself may flash on and off one ormore times to indicate its presence and location in the area. In someimplementations, the UI may present a virtual stack of nodes such aslight sources, in a selectable UI element that may resemble a stack ofplaying cards or other objects. The UI may enable the user to select thetop node in the stack, and the selected node may be sent the signal tocause the node to indicate its presence by flashing a LED or otherwise.Thus, in some implementations the user may select one node at a time tobe added to the mesh network and/or added to a group.

Based on the location of the node in a zone, the user may use the UI toadd the node to at least one group or designate the node as astand-alone node (as described below). An indication may be received(310) that the node is to be associated with the group(s), or designatedas a stand-alone node, as indicated by the user through the UI. In someimplementations, the UI may provide a control to let the user skip thecommissioning of a node if the user prefers to add the node to a groupat a later time, and/or if the user prefers to not add the node to themesh network at this time. For example, the particular node may be in adifferent room than where the user is currently located, and the usermay prefer to add the node to a group later when they are in the sameroom as the node. Skipping a node may include adding a node to a groupof hidden devices, as described further below.

The selected node may be added (312) to the mesh network, which mayinclude allocating a network address for the node. The network addressmay uniquely identify the node on the network. In some implementations,adding the node to the network may employ a security mechanism. Forexample, an exchange of cryptographic keys may be performed between theapplication 114 and the node. The user device 112 may store a key (e.g.,a public key) for the network it is creating, and the user device 112may send this key to each node that is added to the network. Insubsequent communications over the network, the node may employ thepublic key. In general, the allocated network address for the node maybe shorter than the unique identifier that the node originally includedin its advertising broadcast message. In some implementations, securitymay be provided at least partly through use of the mesh network itself.For example, physical proximity to the other nodes (e.g., light sources)may be required for a device to participate as a node on the network.

The group information 116 may be updated (314) to indicate that theselected node is to be a member of the indicated group, that theselected node is designated as a stand-alone node, or that the selectednode has been skipped for the time being (e.g., added to hiddendevices). Although examples herein may describe a particular node asbeing a member of a single group, implementations are not so limited. Insome implementations, a node may be a member of any suitable number ofgroups, or no group. For example, a light source 102 in a conferenceroom may be a member of a first group of all the light sources in theconference room, and the light source 102 may also be a member of asecond group that includes those light sources situated to light aconference table in the room.

Once the node has been added to the network and assigned to group(s) (orskipped, or designated as stand-alone), a determination may be made(316) whether there are additional nodes to be added to the network. Ifso, the process may return to 306 and process another node selectedthrough the UI. If not, the group information 116 may be stored on theuser device 112, the server device(s) 120, and/or other device(s).

Although examples herein may describe using a flashing light to allow auser to perceive the physical location of a node, implementations arenot limited to this particular technique for determining the location ofa node. In some implementations, the location of a node may bedetermined based on a user moving their user device 112 to a locationunder, next to, or otherwise near a node. The location determinationcomponents of the user device 112, such as a RF transceiver and GlobalPositioning System (GPS) signal-processing software, may be employed todetermine that the location of the node is approximately the currentlocation of the user device 112. In some implementations, a signalstrength and/or direction of the advertising signal sent from the nodemay be employed to determine a location of the node, e.g., throughtriangulation based on detection of the signal at multiple receivers. Insome implementations, the user may employ a laser pointer or otherindicator to point to a node and indicate its location.

In some implementations, the nodes may be initially sorted and/orfiltered to optimize the process of identifying node locations andadding nodes to groups. For example, based on the strength of theadvertising signals received at the user device 112, the application 114may identify those nodes that are in proximity to the user device 112(e.g., in the same room as the user device 114 and/or user). Theapplication 114 may present those nodes for location identification andgrouping first, with priority over other nodes that may be farther awayor in other rooms. This may provide for a commissioning and groupingprocess that is more efficient, by enabling the user to identify andgroup-assign those nodes that are most relevant based on the user'scurrent location, e.g., instead of requiring the user to skip thosenodes that are located in other rooms. As the user moves between variousrooms or other locations, the application 114 may present those nodesthat are proximal to the user's current location. This sorting providesa more positive user experience than if the user were required to skipmany nodes at the beginning of the commissioning process.

In some implementations, the commissioning and/or group assignment ofnodes may be at least partly automated. For example, using a camera inthe user device 112 the application 114 may automatically determine thelocation of a node based on its flashing light pattern, and in someinstances automatically allocate the node to a group based on itslocation. In some implementations, the nodes themselves may includelocation determination capability, such as hardware and/or softwarecomponents for location determination based on GPS signals. In suchinstances, the nodes themselves may indicate their locations to theapplication 114.

In some implementations, commissioning may be performed more quicklyand/or efficiently through at least partial parallel processing of eachnode (e.g., contemporaneous performance of at least some of the steps inFIG. 3). For example, one or more next nodes may be queued up andpresented in the UI for sorting into groups while previous node(s) arestill being allocated network addresses, being added to the network,and/or being added to group(s).

FIG. 4 depicts a flow diagram of an example process for determiningscene information for a lighting system 100, according toimplementations of the present disclosure. Operations of the process maybe performed by the application 114 and/or other software executing onthe user device 112, the controller 104, the server device(s) 120, orelsewhere.

A selection of a group may be received (402) through the UI of theapplication 114. An indication of a brightness level (e.g., power level)may also be received (404). An indication of a scene may be received(406) through the UI, indicating that the scene is to include theselected group of light sources 102 set to the indicated brightnesslevel. Scene information 118 may be generated and stored (408) toindicate that the scene includes the group set to the associatedbrightness level. As described above, the scene information 118 may bestored on the user device 112 and/or the server device(s) 120. Asdescribed above, at least a portion of the group information 116 and/orscene information 118 may also be stored on each of the light source(s)102, such that each light source stores information indicating whichgroup(s) include the light source and the state that the light source isto be in when various scene(s) are active. Such storage may includesending a message over the wireless mesh network, the message beingaddressed to the particular light source 102 and the message includingthe portion of the group information 116 and/or scene information 118 tobe stored on the light source 102.

Scenes may include any suitable number of groups of light sources 102,and/or individual light source(s) 102, with each group or light sourceset to a particular brightness level when the scene is active. In someimplementations, the brightness level may be expressed as a percentageof the maximum power consumable by the light source and/or a percentageof the maximum brightness level that the light source is capable ofemitting. For example, a brightness level may vary from 0% to 100%,where 0% is the light source operated at zero power (e.g., the lightsource is not emitting any light and/or not consuming any power) andwhere 100% is the light source operating at its maximum power, emittingthe maximum amount of light possible given the particular configurationof the light source. Implementations also support the use of otherformats for expressing brightness level of the light source(s) 102.

In some implementations, a scene may be defined to include various rulesbased on environmental characteristics, time, and/or other variables.For example, a scene may be specified to be activated or deactivated onparticular day(s) of the week, month, year, range(s) of days, and/ortime period(s) during one or more days. As another example, a scene maybe specified to be activated or deactivated if a particular area (e.g.,room, building, etc.) is occupied or unoccupied. As another example, ascene may be specified to be activated or deactivated based on a levelof ambient light in an area, e.g., whether there is natural light or alack of natural light, in daytime or nighttime.

Storage of group information 116 and/or scene information on the serverdevice(s) 120 may facilitate the later editing of group(s) and/orscene(s) by the user on the user device 112 or some other device. A usermay employ the application 114 to modify group(s) and/or scene(s), addor delete group(s) and/or scene(s), and/or otherwise manage the lightingsystem. Light source(s) and/or other node(s) that are incorporated intothe area after the initial commissioning may be commissioned and addedto the mesh network and assigned to groups as described above.

The nodes which may be added to the mesh network may include lightsource(s) 102, sensor(s) 110, controller(s) 104, and/or other types ofnode(s). The sensor(s) 110 may include occupancy sensor(s), such asmotion sensor(s) to detect the presence (or absence) of individuals (orother moving entities) in an area. Sensor(s) 110 may also includeambient light sensor(s) to detect an amount of light in an area, e.g.,natural light and/or light emitted by light source(s) 102. Sensor(s) 110may also include any other suitable type of sensor that is configured todetect an environmental condition in proximity to the sensor, such asair quality sensors, wind speed sensors, air pressure sensors,noise/sound detectors, temperature sensors, and so forth. Thecontroller(s) 104 may include wall-mounted controller(s) (e.g.,switches) and/or portable controller(s) as described above. In someimplementations, other types of node(s) may be supported. For example,node(s) may include an energy monitor that detects the amount of poweror energy being consumed by one or more node(s) in the system. Suchmonitor(s) may facilitate load shedding, power usage optimization,and/or other actions to conserve power generally. In someimplementations, node(s) may include luminaires or other fixtures thathouse the light source(s), or other types of devices.

In some implementations, the application 114 and/or other softwareexecuting on the user device 112, server device(s) 120, controller 104,or elsewhere may receive data from the network regarding energy usage,and may analyze the data to determine ways in which energy usage may beoptimized and/or energy conserved generally. For example, the energyusage data may be analyzed to determine how and whether energy may besaved through daylight harvesting, modification of groups and/or scenes,time of use patterns, and/or other changes to the lighting system. Theanalyzing module may access information regarding a state of the systemat any given time, such as which scene(s) are active, the brightnesslevels of various light sources, and so forth. Based on the stateinformation, a determination may be made of how much power is beingconsumed at any given time. Implementations may employ machine learningalgorithms and/or techniques to determine groups, scenes, and/orschedules to optimize energy usage, best take advantage of naturallight, and so forth. Such machine learning may build and/or adjustlighting schedules based on usage patterns and/or occupancy patternsdetected in an area. For example, based on a detected pattern that anindividual tends to use a particular room (e.g., office) between 8:00a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on weekdays, the machine learning may create atiming-dependent scene to ensure that the lighting is adequate in thatroom during the predicted times of occupancy, while setting thebrightness level of the light source(s) 102 in the room to account forthe amount of natural light which may be present at any given time.

In some implementations, the operation of particular fixtures and/orlight sources may be optimized to achieve efficient energy usage. Forexample, a fixture may include multiple light sources, and adetermination may be made that it is more efficient to operate half thelight sources at 100% brightness instead of operating all the lightsources at 50% brightness, to achieve overall 50% brightness for thefixture. As another example, a scene may specify that a “night light” isto be left on overnight, e.g., a single light source in a particularroom or other area. Implementations may optimize this scene such that adifferent light source is left on during different nights, to ensurethat a single light source does not burn out significantly faster thanother light sources.

In some implementations, the server device(s) 120, user device 112,controller(s) 104, and/or other device(s) may provide an interface toenable a user to view information regarding the current state of thelighting system, usage history, energy usage patterns, analytics, groupand/or scene information, schedule information, and so forth. Such aninterface may be secured against unauthorized access by requiring a userto enter credentials to authenticate the user and verify their identityan authorization to access the information. The interface may beaccessible to user(s) over a network. In some implementations, theinterface may be a web interface presented in a web browser.

FIGS. 5A-5I depict examples of a UI 500 for managing a lighting system100, according to implementations of the present disclosure. In someimplementations, the UI 500 may be presented by application 114.

FIG. 5A shows an example of a controller screen that may be presented inthe UI 500. A zone name may be presented in the navigation bar (e.g.,navbar), to indicate which controller 104 this display relates to, e.g.,which controller in which zone. A zone may be an area or portion of anarea, such as a room, part of a room, building, floor of a building,outdoor area, and so forth. At the beginning of the commissioningprocess, a default initial zone may be defined and given a default name(e.g., Zone 1). The UI 500 may present a menu 502, including icons toenable a user to navigate to certain sections of the application 114such as Switch (e.g., controller), Commission, Scenes, Schedule, andMore. If no nodes have been commissioned yet, the Switch, Scenes, andScheduler icons may be disabled, and the user may be prevented fromnavigating to these screens until the nodes (e.g., light sources and/orcontrollers) are commissioned. Left and right arrows in the navigationbar on the Switch, Commission, Scenes, and Scheduler enable navigationfrom zone to zone. In some implementations, the Switch screen as shownin FIG. 5A may enable a user to virtually manipulate the controls of acontroller 104 in the same way the user would operate the physicalcontroller 104, to turn light sources on and off, use the dimmer switchto control brightness, and/or use the scene controls to activate ordeactivate scenes.

FIGS. 5B-5D show examples of a commissioning screen that may bepresented in the UI 500. The commissioning screen may be employed by theuser to add nodes to the mesh network and define groups of nodes. Asshown in FIG. 5B, the screen may present controls 506 indicate thenumber of nodes (e.g., devices) remaining to be added to the networkand/or groups (e.g., 38 devices left). The remaining devices may includethose nodes for which an advertising signal has been received, but whichhave not yet been added to a group or to the hidden devices set(described below). The UI may also present a zone ID 508 indicating thezone that includes the remaining devices and/or the devices that havebeen added to group(s) 526. As shown in the example of FIG. 5B, thedevices remaining may be presented in a stack, and the user may selectthe top-most node in the stack for adding to a group 526 or adding tothe Hidden Devices, as described below. For each of the devicespresented in the controls 506, a user may drag the device to a cellwithin the grid above such that the device is included in a group ofnodes 526. Each cell may correspond to a group, such that dragging adevice to a cell causes the device to be added to a corresponding group.The user may alternatively drag the device to the “Hidden Devices”portion of the controls 506 if they wish to hide the device for thiszone, e.g., skip the handling of the device until later.

In some implementations, the UI may enable a device to be added to agroup 526 or added to the network as a stand-alone node. For example,the user may drag a device from the available devices into a grid of thezone, and no other devices may be added to the same grid. In this way,an individual light source, sensor, or other device may be controlled asa separate node independently of other node(s) and/or group(s) of nodes.In some implementations, certain device type(s) may only be added to agrid as a separate node. For example, in some instances a sensor and/ora switch may not be added to a group with other node(s), and may beadded to the network as a stand-alone node in its own grid of the UI fora particular zone. In general, a node may be in a group or may be on thenetwork as a stand-alone node, and the system may control and storeinformation regarding both stand-alone nodes and groups of nodes. A zonerepresents a collection of groups and/or stand-alone nodes to beorganized by the user on a particular screen of the UI, as shown in theexample of FIG. 5B.

In some implementations, a cell of the grid in the UI corresponds to agroup of nodes. Dragging a device into for a cell of a particular zonemay cause the device to be added to a group within the zone, and mayalso cause the device to be added to the mesh network and allocated anaddress. In some implementations, when the user has specified zerodevices within the hidden device area, the UI 500 may present the label“Hide device” instead of “Hidden Devices.” In some instances, thecontroller may be presented first within the deck of the controls 506and may have its own icon, as shown. The controller may have its owncell within the grid of nodes 504 after it has been added to the group.Accordingly, the nodes 504 may have separate grid elements for varioustypes of nodes, such as light sources 102, controllers 104, sensors 110,and so forth.

In some implementations, the “devices left” portion of the controls 506may be a deck of virtually stacked device icons corresponding to thedevices that are available to be commissioned. The top device within thedeck of the controls 506 may pulsate in the UI 500 while thecorresponding physical device is flashing. This may aid the user inassociating the physical node with its virtual representation in the UI500. The controls 506 may also indicate the number of devices left inthe deck to be commissioned (e.g., 38 devices left). In someimplementations, once a device is dragged into the grid area of nodes504 an animation or other indication may be presented to indicate thatthe user may not leave the screen until all the detected devices havebeen commissioned. In the example shown, tubes may refer to the lightsources 102 and switch may refer to a controller 104.

When the user selects the “Hidden Devices” portion of controls 506, thelower area may slide up as shown in FIG. 5C. The controls 510 may showthe devices that the user has previously added to the set of hiddendevices. The user may select one of the devices, causing the physicaldevice to flash and its virtual representation to pulsate. The user maythen commission this device by dragging it into the upper portion andadding it to a cell in the grid of nodes 504, the cell corresponding toa particular group. The list or other representation of hidden devicesmay scroll as shown. The user may select the “X” in the controls 510 toclose this section of the application 114. As in the example of FIG. 5C,the user can select multiple devices, or “Select All” the devices, to becommissioned. When user selects the “Unhide Selected” button, this areaslides back down, and the selected devices may be moved back to the deckfor commissioning.

When the user taps on a populated cell within the grid of nodes 204, thelower area may slide up to present controls 512, as shown in the exampleof FIG. 5D. The controls 512 may present the devices (e.g., nodes) thatare currently included in the selected group. The user may select one ormore of the devices and remove the selected device(s) from the groupusing the “Remove Selected” button. Removing devices from a group maycause the devices to be added back into the deck to be available foradding to other groups.

FIGS. 5E-5G show examples of a scene specification screen that may bepresented in the UI 500. In the example of FIG. 5E, the user hasselected the Scenes menu item while viewing the groups of a particularzone (e.g., Zone 1). This may cause the UI 500 to present controls 514,to enable the user to specify a scene that employs the groups of thezone. In the example shown, the user has selected Scene 1. In FIG. 5F,the UI 500 is presenting controls 516 (e.g., a slider control) to enablethe user to specify a brightness level for the light sources 102 withinthe groups that are to be controlled through the scene. The UI 500 mayalso present other controls to enable the user to select othercharacteristics of the state that the light source(s) are to be in whenthe scene is active, such as controls to select the color, colortemperature, number of LEDs to be illuminated, and so forth. The usermay select the “Save Scene” button to save the scene information 118that indicates that the scene is to include the selected groups set tothe indicated brightness level.

FIGS. 5G-5I show examples of other screens that may be presented in theUI 500. As shown in the example of FIG. 5G, menu(s) 520 may be presentedthat enable the user to perform operations such as adding and/or editingzones, changing their email (or other login credential), changing theirpassword, replaying an introductory video, signing out of theapplication 114, receiving help or other support, viewing terms andconditions of use, viewing a privacy policy, and so forth.

Selecting Add and Edit Zones may cause a screen to be presented as inFIG. 5H, including control(s) 522 to add a zone or select existing zonesfor editing. This screen shows the zones that the user has set up, andprovides the ability to add a new zone. The user may select one of thepreviously configured zones to edit the zone. In some implementations,the zones may be shown in alphabetical order. To add a zone, the usermay use the screen of FIG. 5I to specify a name for the zone using thecontrol(s) 524. The UI 500 may also present other screens.

Although the examples of FIGS. 5A-5I depict a particular UI thatincludes particular screens, controls, and other UI elements,implementations are not limited to these examples. Implementations mayprovide a UI that includes any suitable number of screens, controls, andother UI elements, in any appropriate arrangement to enable a user toreadily specify groups, scenes, and/or other information for managing alighting system.

FIG. 6 depicts an example computing system, according to implementationsof the present disclosure. The system 600 may be used for any of theoperations described with respect to the various implementationsdiscussed herein. For example, the system 600 may be included, at leastin part, in one or more of the user device(s) 112, the server device(s)120, the controller(s) 104, and/or other computing device(s) orsystem(s) described herein. The system 600 may include one or moreprocessors 610, a memory 620, one or more storage devices 630, and oneor more input/output (I/O) devices 650 controllable through one or moreI/O interfaces 640. The various components 610, 620, 630, 640, or 650may be interconnected through at least one system bus 660, which mayenable the transfer of data between the various modules and componentsof the system 600.

The processor(s) 610 may be configured to process instructions forexecution within the system 600. The processor(s) 610 may includesingle-threaded processor(s), multi-threaded processor(s), or both. Theprocessor(s) 610 may be configured to process instructions stored in thememory 620 or on the storage device(s) 630. The processor(s) 610 mayinclude hardware-based processor(s) each including one or more cores.The processor(s) 610 may include general purpose processor(s), specialpurpose processor(s), or both.

The memory 620 may store information within the system 600. In someimplementations, the memory 620 includes one or more computer-readablemedia. The memory 620 may include any number of volatile memory units,any number of non-volatile memory units, or both volatile andnon-volatile memory units. The memory 620 may include read-only memory,random access memory, or both. In some examples, the memory 620 may beemployed as active or physical memory by one or more executing softwaremodules.

The storage device(s) 630 may be configured to provide (e.g.,persistent) mass storage for the system 600. In some implementations,the storage device(s) 630 may include one or more computer-readablemedia. For example, the storage device(s) 630 may include a floppy diskdevice, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or a tape device.The storage device(s) 630 may include read-only memory, random accessmemory, or both. The storage device(s) 630 may include one or more of aninternal hard drive, an external hard drive, or a removable drive.

One or both of the memory 620 or the storage device(s) 630 may includeone or more computer-readable storage media (CRSM). The CRSM may includeone or more of an electronic storage medium, a magnetic storage medium,an optical storage medium, a magneto-optical storage medium, a quantumstorage medium, a mechanical computer storage medium, and so forth. TheCRSM may provide storage of computer-readable instructions describingdata structures, processes, applications, programs, other modules, orother data for the operation of the system 600. In some implementations,the CRSM may include a data store that provides storage ofcomputer-readable instructions or other information in a non-transitoryformat. The CRSM may be incorporated into the system 600 or may beexternal with respect to the system 600. The CRSM may include read-onlymemory, random access memory, or both. One or more CRSM suitable fortangibly embodying computer program instructions and data may includeany type of non-volatile memory, including but not limited to:semiconductor memory devices, such as EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memorydevices; magnetic disks such as internal hard disks and removable disks;magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. In some examples,the processor(s) 610 and the memory 620 may be supplemented by, orincorporated into, one or more application-specific integrated circuits(ASICs).

The system 600 may include one or more I/O devices 650. The I/Odevice(s) 650 may include one or more input devices such as a keyboard,a mouse, a pen, a game controller, a touch input device, an audio inputdevice (e.g., a microphone), a gestural input device, a haptic inputdevice, an image or video capture device (e.g., a camera), or otherdevices. In some examples, the I/O device(s) 650 may also include one ormore output devices such as a display, LED(s), an audio output device(e.g., a speaker), a printer, a haptic output device, and so forth. TheI/O device(s) 650 may be physically incorporated in one or morecomputing devices of the system 600, or may be external with respect toone or more computing devices of the system 600.

The system 600 may include one or more I/O interfaces 640 to enablecomponents or modules of the system 600 to control, interface with, orotherwise communicate with the I/O device(s) 650. The I/O interface(s)640 may enable information to be transferred in or out of the system600, or between components of the system 600, through serialcommunication, parallel communication, or other types of communication.For example, the I/O interface(s) 640 may comply with a version of theRS-232 standard for serial ports, or with a version of the IEEE 1284standard for parallel ports. As another example, the I/O interface(s)640 may be configured to provide a connection over Universal Serial Bus(USB) or Ethernet. In some examples, the I/O interface(s) 640 may beconfigured to provide a serial connection that is compliant with aversion of the IEEE 1394 standard.

The I/O interface(s) 640 may also include one or more network interfacesthat enable communications between computing devices in the system 600,or between the system 600 and other network-connected computing systems.The network interface(s) may include one or more network interfacecontrollers (NICs) or other types of transceiver devices configured tosend and receive communications over one or more networks using anynetwork protocol.

Computing devices of the system 600 may communicate with one another, orwith other computing devices, using one or more networks. Such networksmay include public networks such as the internet, private networks suchas an institutional or personal intranet, or any combination of privateand public networks. The networks may include any type of wired orwireless network, including but not limited to local area networks(LANs), wide area networks (WANs), wireless WANs (WWANs), wireless LANs(WLANs), mobile communications networks (e.g., 3G, 4G, Edge, etc.), andso forth. In some implementations, the communications between computingdevices may be encrypted or otherwise secured. For example,communications may employ one or more public or private cryptographickeys, ciphers, digital certificates, or other credentials supported by asecurity protocol, such as any version of the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)or the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol.

The system 600 may include any number of computing devices of any type.The computing device(s) may include, but are not limited to: a personalcomputer, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a wearable computer, animplanted computer, a mobile gaming device, an electronic book reader,an automotive computer, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, anotebook computer, a game console, a home entertainment device, anetwork computer, a server computer, a mainframe computer, a distributedcomputing device (e.g., a cloud computing device), a microcomputer, asystem on a chip (SoC), a system in a package (SiP), and so forth.Although examples herein may describe computing device(s) as physicaldevice(s), implementations are not so limited. In some examples, acomputing device may include one or more of a virtual computingenvironment, a hypervisor, an emulation, or a virtual machine executingon one or more physical computing devices. In some examples, two or morecomputing devices may include a cluster, cloud, farm, or other groupingof multiple devices that coordinate operations to provide loadbalancing, failover support, parallel processing capabilities, sharedstorage resources, shared networking capabilities, or other aspects.

Implementations and all of the functional operations described in thisspecification may be realized in digital electronic circuitry, or incomputer software, firmware, or hardware, including the structuresdisclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents, or incombinations of one or more of them. Implementations may be realized asone or more computer program products, i.e., one or more modules ofcomputer program instructions encoded on a computer readable medium forexecution by, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus.The computer readable medium may be a machine-readable storage device, amachine-readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition ofmatter effecting a machine-readable propagated signal, or a combinationof one or more of them. The term “computing system” encompasses allapparatus, devices, and machines for processing data, including by wayof example a programmable processor, a computer, or multiple processorsor computers. The apparatus may include, in addition to hardware, codethat creates an execution environment for the computer program inquestion, e.g., code that constitutes processor firmware, a protocolstack, a database management system, an operating system, or acombination of one or more of them. A propagated signal is anartificially generated signal, e.g., a machine-generated electrical,optical, or electromagnetic signal that is generated to encodeinformation for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus.

A computer program (also known as a program, software, softwareapplication, script, or code) may be written in any appropriate form ofprogramming language, including compiled or interpreted languages, andit may be deployed in any appropriate form, including as a standaloneprogram or as a module, component, subroutine, or other unit suitablefor use in a computing environment. A computer program does notnecessarily correspond to a file in a file system. A program may bestored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data (e.g.,one or more scripts stored in a markup language document), in a singlefile dedicated to the program in question, or in multiple coordinatedfiles (e.g., files that store one or more modules, sub programs, orportions of code). A computer program may be deployed to be executed onone computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site ordistributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communicationnetwork.

The processes and logic flows described in this specification may beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing one or morecomputer programs to perform functions by operating on input data andgenerating output. The processes and logic flows may also be performedby, and apparatus may also be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any appropriate kind of digital computer.Generally, a processor may receive instructions and data from a readonly memory or a random access memory or both. Elements of a computercan include a processor for performing instructions and one or morememory devices for storing instructions and data. Generally, a computermay also include, or be operatively coupled to receive data from ortransfer data to, or both, one or more mass storage devices for storingdata, e.g., magnetic, magneto optical disks, or optical disks. However,a computer need not have such devices. Moreover, a computer may beembedded in another device, e.g., a mobile telephone, a personal digitalassistant (PDA), a mobile audio player, a Global Positioning System(GPS) receiver, to name just a few. Computer readable media suitable forstoring computer program instructions and data include all forms ofnon-volatile memory, media and memory devices, including by way ofexample semiconductor memory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flashmemory devices; magnetic disks, e.g., internal hard disks or removabledisks; magneto optical disks; and CD ROM and DVD-ROM disks. Theprocessor and the memory may be supplemented by, or incorporated in,special purpose logic circuitry.

To provide for interaction with a user, implementations may be realizedon a computer having a display device, e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) orLCD (liquid crystal display) monitor, for displaying information to theuser and a keyboard and a pointing device, e.g., a mouse or a trackball,by which the user may provide input to the computer. Other kinds ofdevices may be used to provide for interaction with a user as well; forexample, feedback provided to the user may be any appropriate form ofsensory feedback, e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactilefeedback; and input from the user may be received in any appropriateform, including acoustic, speech, or tactile input.

Implementations may be realized in a computing system that includes aback end component, e.g., as a data server, or that includes amiddleware component, e.g., an application server, or that includes afront end component, e.g., a client computer having a graphical UI or aweb browser through which a user may interact with an implementation, orany appropriate combination of one or more such back end, middleware, orfront end components. The components of the system may be interconnectedby any appropriate form or medium of digital data communication, e.g., acommunication network. Examples of communication networks include alocal area network (“LAN”) and a wide area network (“WAN”), e.g., theInternet.

The computing system may include clients and servers. A client andserver are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

While this specification contains many specifics, these should not beconstrued as limitations on the scope of the disclosure or of what maybe claimed, but rather as descriptions of features specific toparticular implementations. Certain features that are described in thisspecification in the context of separate implementations may also beimplemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely,various features that are described in the context of a singleimplementation may also be implemented in multiple implementationsseparately or in any suitable sub-combination. Moreover, althoughfeatures may be described above as acting in certain combinations andeven initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimedcombination may in some examples be excised from the combination, andthe claimed combination may be directed to a sub-combination orvariation of a sub-combination.

Similarly, while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particularorder, this should not be understood as requiring that such operationsbe performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, orthat all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirableresults. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processingmay be advantageous. Moreover, the separation of various systemcomponents in the implementations described above should not beunderstood as requiring such separation in all implementations, and itshould be understood that the described program components and systemsmay generally be integrated together in a single software product orpackaged into multiple software products.

A number of implementations have been described. Nevertheless, it willbe understood that various modifications may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the disclosure. For example, various formsof the flows shown above may be used, with steps re-ordered, added, orremoved. Accordingly, other implementations are within the scope of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method performed by atleast one processor, the method comprising: presenting, by the at leastone processor, in a user interface (UI), a representation of a pluralityof light sources, the representation based on receiving a respectivewireless advertising signal from each of the plurality of light sources;in response to an identification in the UI of a light source of theplurality of light sources, sending, by the at least one processor, awireless signal to cause the light source to visibly indicate itspresence, wherein the representation of the light source in the UI isaltered while the light source is visibly indicating its presence;receiving, by the at least one processor, through the UI, a designationof the light source for subsequent control through a wireless networkand, in response, adding the light source to the wireless network; andproviding, by the at least one processor, information that describes thedesignation of the light source.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein: thelight source includes an indicator component; and the wireless signalactivates the indicator component to visibly indicate the presence ofthe light source.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein: the indicatorcomponent includes at least one light-emitting diode (LED) affixed tothe light source; and activating the indicator component includesilluminating the at least one LED.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein:the representation of the plurality of light sources includes a stack ofUI elements that each represents a respective light source; and thelight source is represented by a top UI element in the stack.
 5. Themethod of claim 4, wherein the top UI element in the stack pulsateswhile the light source is visibly indicating its presence.
 6. The methodof claim 4, wherein the UI elements in the stack are sorted within thestack based on location of the respective light sources represented bythe UI elements.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the designation ofthe light source includes a group that includes the light source, or anidentification of the light source as a stand-alone light source.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, by the at least oneprocessor, through the UI, scene information indicating that the lightsource is to be set to a state when a scene is active; and sending, bythe at least one processor, over the wireless network, at least aportion of the scene information to be stored in memory on the lightsource.
 9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: sending, by the atleast one processor, a wireless scene activation signal over thewireless network, wherein the wireless scene activation signal specifiesthe scene to be activated, and wherein receipt of the wireless sceneactivation signal by the light source sets the light source to the stateassociated with the scene.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the stateincludes one or more of a brightness, a color, a color temperature, anda number of illuminated LEDs for the light source.
 11. A systemcomprising: at least one processor; and memory communicatively coupledto the at least one processor, the memory storing instructions which,when executed, cause the at least one processor to perform operationscomprising: presenting, in a user interface (UI), a representation of aplurality of light sources, the representation based on receiving arespective wireless advertising signal from each of the plurality oflight sources; in response to an identification in the UI of a lightsource of the plurality of light sources, sending a wireless signal tocause the light source to visibly indicate its presence, wherein therepresentation of the light source in the UI is altered while the lightsource is visibly indicating its presence; receiving, through the UI, adesignation of the light source for subsequent control through awireless network and, in response, adding the light source to thewireless network; and providing information that describes thedesignation of the light source.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein:the light source includes an indicator component; and the wirelesssignal activates the indicator component to visibly indicate thepresence of the light source.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein: theindicator component includes at least one light-emitting diode (LED)affixed to the light source; and activating the indicator componentincludes illuminating the at least one LED.
 14. The system of claim 11,wherein: the representation of the plurality of light sources includes astack of UI elements that each represents a respective light source; andthe light source is represented by a top UI element in the stack. 15.The system of claim 14, wherein the top UI element in the stack pulsateswhile the light source is visibly indicating its presence.
 16. Thesystem of claim 14, wherein the UI elements in the stack are sortedwithin the stack based on location of the respective light sourcesrepresented by the UI elements.
 17. The system of claim 11, wherein thedesignation of the light source includes a group that includes the lightsource, or an identification of the light source as a stand-alone lightsource.
 18. The system of claim 11, the operations further comprising:receiving, through the UI, scene information indicating that the lightsource is to be set to a state when a scene is active; and sending, overthe wireless network, at least a portion of the scene information to bestored in memory on the light source.
 19. The system of claim 18, theoperations further comprising: sending a wireless scene activationsignal over the wireless network, wherein the wireless scene activationsignal specifies the scene to be activated, and wherein receipt of thewireless scene activation signal by the light source sets the lightsource to the state associated with the scene.
 20. One or morecomputer-readable media storing instructions which, when executed by atleast one processor, cause the at least one processor to performoperations comprising: presenting, in a user interface (UI), arepresentation of a plurality of light sources, the representation basedon receiving a respective wireless advertising signal from each of theplurality of light sources; in response to an identification in the UIof a light source of the plurality of light sources, sending a wirelesssignal to cause the light source to visibly indicate its presence,wherein the representation of the light source in the UI is alteredwhile the light source is visibly indicating its presence; receiving,through the UI, a designation of the light source for subsequent controlthrough a wireless network and, in response, adding the light source tothe wireless network; and providing information that describes thedesignation of the light source.